Shaved Ice – May 14

Tomorrow, everything starts all over.

After picking up a big Game 7 win out in Anaheim, the Red Wings kept their season alive. That means that they advance to the second round of the playoffs, for a date with Central Division foe and Original Six rival Chicago.

We caught up with the Red Wings when the plane landed yesterday, and the theme around the airport hanger was that this isn’t the same Detroit squad as the one that took on Chicago during the regular season. That’s a good thing, because here’s what happened in the four regular season contests between the Red Wings and Blackhawks:

• Sunday, January 27 – Chicago 2, Detroit 1 (overtime) – United Center
• Sunday, March 3 – Chicago 2, Detroit 1 (shootout) – Joe Louis Arena
• Sunday, March 31 – Chicago 7, Detroit 1 – Joe Louis Arena
• Friday, April 12 – Chicago 3, Detroit 2 (shootout) – United Center

We also spent some time chatting with Justin Abdelkader – here’s a separate feature on No. 8.

Apparently the TV viewership went pretty well around Hockeytown, too – Fox Sports Detroit announced yesterday that their channel was the most-watched station in Detroit over the weekend. A lot of that had to do with Game 6 and Game 7, with some Tigers baseball mixed in, too.

Now, in non-Red Wings news – the Griffins are all tied up at one game apiece in their second-round series with the Toronto Marlies. That series shifts back to Grand Rapids tomorrow – here’s to hoping the Griffins can take control of the series once again.

 Here’s some motivational material for the Hockeytown faithful, as if you needed any. We present to you…Jeremy Piven talking trash about the Winged Wheel.

What a night for the NHL. Two Game 7s took place last night, and while the Rangers/Capitals finale was a dud (New York blew ’em out by a score of 5-0), the Bruins/Leafs showdown was one for the ages. After falling behind 4-1 in the third period, the Bruins scored three times in the final 11 minutes of regulation – two in the final minute and a half – to force overtime. There, Patrice Bergeron saved the day for Boston.

With the jaw-dropping Game 7 in the books, the second-round match-ups are finally decided. Here’s a look at the conference semifinal situations:

• Detroit vs. Chicago – starts tomorrow
• San Jose vs. Los Angeles – starts today
• Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh – starts today
• New York vs. Boston – starts Thursday

Check out the latest edition of MiHockeyMag right here:

See you later today.